Fishing catch from Ragged Lake, ca. 1887

Dunn had also become an accomplished fly-fisherman. In the late 1800s, a state-of-the-art fly-fishing outfit might consist of a bamboo fly rod, a reel loaded with silk fly line and hand-tied flies to simulate any number of brook trout prey.

Tom and his buck from Little Blackberry Pond

Stricter game laws created tension between residents, trying to feed their families and earn a living as market hunters, and wealthy out-of-state sportsmen. The state, supported by sportsmen "from away," wanted to ensure that Maine's trophy wildlife remained abundant.

But Mainers, clinging to long-standing tradition, felt that it was their right to take as much game as they wanted, whenever they wanted.

John W. G. Dunn cooking fish

John Dunn died in May of 1941 in St. Paul, Minnesota. A friend fondly wrote that he was considered "a good woodsman, a lover of nature, a fair rod, a strong shot, a good stayer on the tramp, and a most enjoyable companion."